Where Kindness Leads You
by Level 250 Wild Goldeen
Summary: Kasumi stumbles upon a magical object capable of fixing Ranma's Nekoken. Being the kind soul she is, she uses it to help the pigtailed one. But not everything goes as planned... can Nerima handle a different kind of Kasumi?
1. Chapter 1: First Steps

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, I think you know who does. If not, why don't you? Everyone else does, so why are you left out of the loop? Poor lost soul...

AN: While my first story is a crossover and based on a concept that has been used once or twice before, this is, I THINK, original. Not quite sure...there are so many stories I haven't gotten around to reading. If you've seen a story similar to this, please point it out to me immediately. Oh, uh, ill continue Losing Innocence, Finding Self soon enough. Just need to get this out of my system before I go crazy. Crazier.

Also, ALL my future stories will have a much more mentally accute Ranma. I believe that underneath it all, he is quite intelligent. He just doesn't use it. At least, not to the knowledge of the other Nerima residents...eheheheheheheh. Em, also, forgive the dubious title. It is, in no way, meant to be cynical. Although it may seem like it.

* * *

Where Kindness Leads You

Chapter 1: First Steps

* * *

Making her way down a busy street, a young woman seemed to...glide. There was no other way to describe the flowing grace of her movements. As she went about her business, people stopped what they were doing, focusing their attention on the girl as they felt a wave of tranquility and ease wash over them. Many were speechless in awe of her beautiful, serene features, accented by the modest house dress she was wearing.

Kasumi Tendo walked on, seemingly oblivious to the effect that she had on those around her. In her arms she carried the day's groceries, humming cheerfully to herself as she continued on her way home in order to prepare dinner.

Be it fate, destiny, or a stray deity's idea of a good laugh (Across several multiverses, dozens of said deities sneezed violently), a strange object caught Kasumi's attention, bringing her out of whatever blissful state of mind she usually adopted. Deciding, for reasons she couldn't fathom, to investigate the object, she entered a small shop that had the unusual item on display in its window.

At a counter in the back of the room, a short, pudgy man with greying hair sat, soundly asleep, er, carefully keeping watch over his store. Glancing about as she approached the counter, Kasumi blinked thoughtfully when she realized that the owner was currently dead to the world. Spotting a small bell resting on the countertop beside the man's head, she reached out a hand and gingerly rang it once. Instantly, the man sprang over six feet into the air (quite an impressive feat considering his less than aerodynamic build), yelping loudly before quickly stammering out, "Take whatever you want, just don't hurt me! I- oh, you must be a customer. Er, see anything you like? Eheheheh..."

Smiling one of her must endearing, irresistable smiles, the Angel of Nerima replied, "Oh my yes. I was wondering what that thing in the window is."

Staggering slightly and attempting to blink the spots out of his eyes inflicted by Kasumi's brighter-than-the-sun smile being directed at him full force, the chubby shopkeeper answered unsteadily, "T-that is a very powerful magical artifact. It has the ability to pull unpleasant memories right out of someone's head!"

'Unpleasant memories? Maybe it could help with Ranma's Neko-ken?'

Contrary to popular belief, Kasumi was not completely oblivious to the world around her. She simply chose not to involve herself in a lot of what went on around Nerima (It was much healthier for one's sanity that way). Thinking of the usually confident, often downright arrogant pigtailed boy brought an almost unnoticable frown to her face. 'Ranma has been acting so sad lately. I guess all the usual chaos that follows him is finally starting to take its toll. After everything he's been through, I think he deserves this.'

Her mind made up to help the poor Saotome heir, Kasumi nodded to herself. It was the right thing to do, after all. "How much do you want for it?"

Before the rotund shopkeep could reply, his considerable stomach suddenly growled in protest of its current state of emptiness. Grinning sheepishly, he snaked a quick glance to the groceries Kasumi held before answering, "Um...eheheh...how about two apples?"

Five minutes later, the eldest Tendo daughter arrived in front of her home, once more retrieving the magic object from her pocket to peer at it curiously. A flat disc, three inches in diameter and a quarter of an inch thick, decorated with symbols drawn on both sides of its smooth, ebony surface in a silvery white color. The symbols, refracting the sunlight and breaking it into a myriad of dancing colors, depicted two seperate scenarios, one on each side. On the top (from her view) was a picture of a man and woman sitting apart from one another, each shedding tears. Flipping the artifact over in her hands, Kasumi beheld the same man and woman holding one another, no longer crying but instead kissing tenderly.

'With this, I should be able to help Ranma get over his fear of cats. This is definitely the right thing to do, he hasn't really done anything to deserve such a thing.'

Ignoring the small voice in the back of her mind that said, 'Are you sure thats the only reason why? Or do you truly want to see him happy...for another reason altogether?', she entered the Tendo household, determined to find Ranma and help him.

* * *

While Kasumi put away the groceries and prepared to find the pigtailed chaos magnet, said magnet was relaxing on the roof of the Tendo home, doing something that would shock anyone who knew him into another bout of tunnel vision induced self denial- thinking. Thinking about everything that had ever gone wrong in his life. From the Neko-ken, to the Jusenkyo curse, the fiances, the rivals, the kidnappings, the oddball challengers. Even Saffron and...the failed wedding. A month past and it still hurt. Deciding it wasn't worth the pain of thinking about it, Ranma shifted his focus to the present. 'Getting kinda boring around here. Let's see...dumb and dumber decided to go out and drink themselves stupid early today. Akane is out shopping with some of her friends, Kasumi is out getting groceries for dinner, and Nabiki is taking care of some business across town. Haven't seen the old perv in a while, and I don't particularly CARE what he does, as long as he stays far away from me. Ukyo is busy at her restaurant, Shampoo and Mousse are swamped with work over at the Nekohanten, along with the Old Ghoul. Ryouga's been lost for a week now, just a matter of time until he shows up again. The Kunos are all at home, doing whatever they do when they aren't making my life hell...don't think I wanna know. It's been pretty quiet around here...not that I'm complaining. Something ridiculous and outright insane will happen soon, and I'll be the one at the center of it, somehow. Better enjoy the peace while I can.'

Stifling a yawn, Ranma got into a more comfortable position as he watched the clouds float by one by one. 'Maybe one day, I'll finally be free. Free as the clouds, peaceful as the blue sky.'

Grimacing, he mumbled something hanging around poetry spouting idiot kendoists too much. Raising his hand, he examined it against the backdrop of the sky. Callouses and tiny scars, invisible unless you knew to look for them, decorated it, the results of a lifetime of hard training and living on the road. Sighing gently, Ranma slowly stood up and stretched. Hopping lightly to the ground, he nearly landed on top of Kasumi, who had just been leaving the house to search for him.

"Oh my! Ranma! There you are. I've been looking for you...there's something I need to talk with you about."

Blinking in surprise, Ranma adopted his trademark look of cluelessness. "Um...sure, Kasumi. What'cha need?"

Smiling brightly, the eldest Tendo daughter reached into a pocket, pulling out the magic disc and showing it to Ranma. "A nice man told me that this is magical and that it can take away your memories of the Neko-ken. Isn't that just wonderful?"

At the mention of the word 'magical', Ranma's hair began to stand on end. His track record with supernatural powers made further encounters with enchanted objects less than desirable. Oh no, he wasn't afraid- never that. He was just very...cautious around items of arcane origins. Understandably so.

"Er yeah Kasumi, that sounds great and all, but-"

Seeing the look of disappointment flashing briefly across features, Ranma felt an intense pang of guilt. He was making Kasumi sad, and that was something nobody in Nerima was willing to do, least of all him. Insane samurai wannabes, eternally lost martial artists driven by obsessive vengeance quests, dragon princes, and even Phoenix gods he could handle, but the very thought of a depressed Kasumi Tendo was almost enough to make him blanch. Such a thing went against the natural order, it just wasn't right!

"-but how about we go inside the dojo for this, it could get kinda messy.", he finished weakly. Alright, so he was a little bit of a wuss when it came to the opposite sex. Okay, a big wuss- so what, if anyone laughed at him he could punt them across Nerima.

Instantly brightening again, Kasumi grabbed the pigtailed boy's hand and quickly led him into the dojo. Arriving at their destination, she began to mentally go through the instructions the shopkeeper had given her once more. "Alright Ranma, just stand right here. Don't worry, I'll...Ranma, are you feeling well? You look kind of flushed."

Turning his head in a vain attempt at hiding the growing blush on his face, the mortally embarassed martial artist barely managed to stammer out, "J-just fine Kasumi, but y-you c-can let g-go of my hand now."

Eyes widening in surprise, the Tendo girl's cheeks took on a rosy hue as she quickly relinquished her grasp on Ranma's hand. "Oh my! I apologize, Ranma. I hadn't realized."

Grinning sheepishly, the Saotome heir managed to regain his composure before responding. "Um, that's alright Kasumi. It didn't bother me or nothin'."

Feeling her blush intensify, Kasumi found herself unable to reply. 'Does he...does he mean that he actually enjoyed holding my hand?'

Quickly banishing that stray thought, she took several steps back and turned around to face Ranma once more. Placing the disc horizontally on top of her left hand, she rested her right hand on the disc itself, keeping her fingers aligned and pointing towards her intended target. Closing her eyes in deep concentration, she began to focus on what she knew of the Neko-ken. Slowly, images began to form in her mind. Darkness, all around. Then hissing and growling somewhere nearby, seemingly from all around. Glowing eyes suddenly blinked into existence, surrounding her. And then the pain began.

Ranma stood in the center of the dojo, shifting nervously as the strange object Kasumi was holding began to glow with a silvery light. Then, barely noticable at first but quickly growing stronger, he felt something tugging at his mind. As the feeling intensified, he felt something deep within him suddenly lift away. 'Okay, that didn't hurt at all. Nothing bad is happening...maybe this time, everything won't go horribly wrong after all!'

"Hey Kasumi, I think it might've wor-"

He was cut off when Kasumi began to scream, clutching her head in agony before collapsing.

So much pain! Claws tearing at her viciously, inflicting hundreds of bleeding cuts all over her body. She couldn't move, couldn't protect herself as the biting and scratching became even more frenzied, refusing to end. She did the only thing she could- she screamed. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the torment stopped. She felt herself falling, the ground rushing up to meet her. Strong arms wrapped around her, catching her, offering her warmth and safety as she drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

Blearily, Kasumi opened her eyes and found that she was in her room. And she was not alone. Ranma sat next to her, looking on anxiously. He had carried the Tendo girl to her room and gently set her on the bed, watching as she seemed to sleep peacefully for nearly two hours before finally awakening. "Are you feeling alright, Kasumi?"

Blinking to bring everything into focus, she smiled up at her pigtailed savior. "Why yes Ranma, I feel great. Better than ever, actually."

Scratching his head nervously, the Saotome heir nodded once. Her aura seemed perfectly healthy...but something was somehow off about it. Different. 'Aw well, it doesn't look like it's hurting her, so I guess its nothing to worry about. I hope.'

Ignoring the tingling sensation in his spine trying to warn him of possible danger (This is Kasumi! She'd never hurt anyone, right? ...Right?), he was about to reply when he was stopped by Kasumi's hand gently closing over his own. "Thank you for watching over me, Ranma. It's getting late, and I need to get started on dinner soon."

"Uh, s-sure Kasumi. I'll go practice in the dojo for a while."

Releasing her grip on the now extremely flustered Ranma, the eldest Tendo daughter rose gracefully to her feet and glided out of the room, heading towards the kitchen.

She was met along the way by loud, off key singing. The moronic duo had returned a bit earlier than planned, laughing over their next imminent failure, er, brilliant plan to unite the houses. "That wayward son of mine will never know what hit 'em! Soon, Tendo, soon the houses will finally be united! All we need now are three gallons of bleach, sake, hedge clippers, sake, and a lemur- a small prosimian, or primitive primate, endemic to Madagascar."

"And sake! Don't forget the sake!"

"Quite right Tendo, quite right!"

The two idiots began laughing like...well...idiots, until they were greeted by Kasumi standing before them, looking as serene as usual. Grinning widely, the Tendo patriarch addressed his treasured offspring, "Hello Kasumi! When is dinner going to be ready?"

Soun blinked twice. Was it his imagination, or had his daughter given him a cold glare? 'No, that's not possible. This is Kasumi! ...Then again, if she takes after her mother...'

The waterworks nearly began at the thought of his dear, deceased wife. The Tendo home was saved from incurring more water damage by its own caretaker, whose peaceful smile took on an almost Cheshire appearance. "I will be starting dinner in a moment. Not that it concerns you two- I will not allow drunkards at my table. Either stay sober or starve, it's up to you."

Genma and Soun stood there, stunned. Surely their ears were playing tricks on them? Nervously sidling closer to his long time friend, the Tendo patriarch nervously began, "Erm Saotome ol' buddy...could you maybe talk to my daughter and see what's troubling her? I think something must be very wrong for her to act like this, don't you think?"

Nodding quickly in both agreement and affirmation, the portly martial artist stepped forth to confront the eldest Tendo daughter. He would do his best to help her, it was a martial artist's duty! Nevermind that he simply could not allow the source of his food to fall ill. That was a given. "Now Kasumi, I think you and I should have a little talk."

Genma nearly flinched when Kasumi's grin became even more pronounced. "Why of course Mr. Saotome. Follow me to my room. I believe you and I need to... discuss something."

Following the Tendo girl upstairs, the sometimes panda angrily squelched the sliver of fear creeping into the back of his mind. A powerful martial artist such as himself scared of a girl? Never! He was simply feeling nervous around her. Very nervous.

Upon arrival at their destination, Kasumi spun around to face her victim, er, houseguest. "What was it you wanted to speak about, Mr. Saotome?"

"My dear, as a martial artist it is my duty to protect the weak and the innocent. Therefore, if there is anything wrong, anything at all, please feel free to ask for my help."

"Oh my Mr. Saotome...you really are a pathetic old fool."

Puffing out his chest in pride, Genma began to reply, Kasumi's words not registering immediately. "Why yes, I am...what?"

The Saotome patriarch deflated, the Tendo girl's statement having finally sunk in. Kasumi's smile suddenly turned vicious as she raised her hands, glowing claws of energy flaring into existence between each knuckle.

* * *

An hour later, Genma exited the room, his eyes glazed over as he stared straight ahead at nothing. Soun was there in an instant, questioning his old training partner. "Genma ol' buddy, have you talked with my daughter?"

Having regained a small measure of his composure, the portly martial artist clasped his hands behind his back and stood tall, nearly managing to cast the illusion of stoicism as he replied gravely, "I have."

Barely containing his curiosity, the Tendo patriarch impatiently pressed, "And?", eagerly awaiting news of his eldest daughter's welfare. Genma puffed out his chest, holding his ground for all of three seconds before his clothes fell away in neatly sliced pieces, revealing dozens of rather nasty looking cuts all over his body. Adopting a look of stark terror, the balding man practically screamed, "I'll pack my things immediately!", kicking up a cloud of dust and nearly trampling Soun in his haste to do just that.

Soun simply stood there, staring dumbly at the dust trail that was left by the fleeing Saotome patriarch as Kasumi exited her room and smiled brightly at her father. "Why hello Father. Did you want to have a talk as well?"

Quickly backing away, making warding gestures and nearly tripping twice, the dignfied head of the Tendo household began to stammer. "N-no dear, I was just on my way to uh...help Genma pack! So I'll be going now, bye!"

And a second dust trail joined the first as Kasumi smirked victoriously for a moment before remembering that she had something to do. 'Oh my! I still have to fix dinner. I hope Ranma doesn't mind eating a little later than usual.'

Humming a merry tune to herself, she made her way downstairs and to the kitchen, smiling pleasantly and determining to fix the resident aquatranssexual's favorite meal.

* * *

In the Tendo Dojo, Ranma could swear up and down that he felt the cold of the grave seeping into his very bones. Either that, or he was catching the flu out of season. If anyone could manage that, it would be him.

'Something is definitely going to happen soon. It's too much to ask for that for once, it be something nice.'

Sighing gently, the pigtailed one returned to his training, focusing his energies into a tiny glowing ball of whitish blue power. Causing the ball to dance from finger to finger several times, he finally let it come to rest on his thumb. Flicking it like a marble, he watched as it streaked across the dojo before impacting the far wall, leaving a small patch of ice as the only evidence it had ever existed. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he began to devise different applications for the new technique, and ways to improve on it.

After he finished cataloguing every intricate detail of the new attack, he once again began to focus his ki. Slowly, his battle aura flared to life, strangely a frigid white rather than the usual color. Concentrating, Ranma coaxed the aura around him to expand and coalesce into a spherical shape. The field of subzero energy continued expanding, reaching a total of roughly ten feet in diameter before exploding outward violently, coating everything in a half inch coat of ice. Unfortunately, that included Ranma himself.

Breaking free of his icy prison, the pigtailed one began to shiver uncontrollably due to the intense cold. 'Gotta work on that one.'

Making his way to the door of the now thoroughly frozen dojo, Ranma opened the door just in time to hear a call of, "Ranma, dinner's ready!"

Grinning widely in expectation of the delicious meal ahead, he allowed himself to forget his previous unease towards the future. 'Nah, nothing'll happen that I can't handle. At least...I don't THINK so...er.'

AN: Um...yeah...I think this chapter feels almost rushed. Might just be me, I dunno. I can always go back and revise it if it proves to be less than satisfactory, so I'm not worried. Agh! Revision...I mess up the story title. Ehehe...whoops.


	2. Chapter 2: The Path I Walk

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½. Plain and simple.

AN: As you may have noticed, LIFS (Losing Innocence, Finding Self- catchy, eh?) isn't really humor based- yet. My one shot is just...dark I suppose. With this story, I'm trying to create a more lighthearted feel. Sometimes you'll have to forgive my so called sense of humor- but I'm working on it!

* * *

Where Kindness Leads You

Chapter 2: The Path I Walk

* * *

Dinner that night was a quiet affair at the Tendo Dojo. This in and of itself was quite commonplace- anywhere else in the world. To those who knew of the Tendo homestead, either by association or reputation, this was a sure sign that Armageddon was approaching. But there was still time- after all, the true herald of the Nerimian Judgment Day was a Kasumi Tendo acting violent. That could never happen, it was just not possible, even in Nerima! ...Yep, they were all doomed.

Within the center of the upcoming Apocalypse, the residents remain blanketed in silent tension. The Tendo doom bringer, er, caretaker sat in her usual place gazing serenely at the gathered people. Akane glared daggers at Ranma, who had started to simply ignore her lately. The chaos magnet stole nervous glances toward the Tendo Patriarch. Soun had a haunted look directed at his eldest daughter, his face frozen as if he wanted to cry but was too terrified of what might happen. Nabiki calmly took all of this in stride, mentally tallying the damages their home would incur when the frenzied melee began. Genma was conspicuously absent, for health reasons.

Finally, the silence was broken by Ranma, who sighed contentedly before directing a thankful smile at Kasumi. "Thanks Kasumi, the food was as delicious as usual."

Now, it is said that all living creatures are gifted by Mother Nature and Father Time with a sort of danger sense. That meaning, they were equipped to sense when things around them were about to go wrong. However, there were always exceptions. Be it fate or some other celestial power at work, one such exception was none other than Akane Tendo. Sadly, she was clueless to the events transpiring around her- but maybe whatever deities that watched over mankind would find it in their hearts to save the violent gorilla from herself. ...Oh yes, tomboys were about to go on the endangered species list.

"Ranma, how dare you flirt with my-!"

Ranma, instantly sensing an incoming malleting, had already squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation. So, it comes as no surprise that he completely missed what happened next. Namely, Kasumi shoving a good amount of rice into her younger sister's open mouth, unceremoniously and effectively silencing her. "-mmmfffff!" "You really need to eat more, Akane. It is very important that you keep up your strength."

Not one to be deterred by anything as trivial as food stuffs or common sense, the youngest Tendo daughter once again made a valiant attempt at venting her frustrations on her reluctant fiance. "You pervert, lea-!"

And, of course, met with the same results as the previous attempt. "Now Akane, you know it is very rude to speak with your mouth full."

Nabiki's eyebrow quirked ever so slightly at her elder sister's odd behavior, but she quickly dismissed it as years of stress finally catching up. 'She's been working so hard...I guess it's starting to get to her. I'd better arrange for her to take a vacation soon.'

Having noticed that he had yet to receive his daily malleting, the pigtailed fighter cautiously opened his left eye. After several seconds without painful incident, he finally relaxed and sat back down. Meanwhile, Soun watched on with a mixture of fear and awe. His precious daughter had been acting so strangely...and her movements were so fast even he couldn't make out more than a blur of motion. There was only one explanation...his poor baby was possessed by a demon! Oh, the horror! 'Hold on Kasumi, Daddy's coming to rescue you!'

Akane merely fumed where she sat, glaring at the Saotome heir with impotent rage.

* * *

Morning arrived once more at the Tendo household, the usual start of a new day and the beginnings of new headaches. Having, for once, gotten a good night's sleep without the constant snoring of his father, Ranma managed to awaken several minutes early for a change. Yawning and stretching languidly, he stood up and blinked in confusion. 'Where's Pops? First he misses dinner, now he isn't even here with his usual morning greeting. Guess he went on a training trip or somethin'. Probably figured he needed it to even stand a chance against me- not that it'll help any.'

Grinning victoriously, he reached toward a nearby glass of water to ease his thirst.

**-Thump-** The water in the glass rippled lightly.

**-Thump-** The sound was getting closer, and the rippling effect increased accordingly.

**-THUMP- **He could feel it now, the floor beneath him quaking at the approach of something...something...

"Tomboyasaurus Rex..." Ranma whispered to himself in detached awe. Internally, he was smiling- and it was not a very nice smile. So, she expected to give him the usual wake up call, eh? Positioning himself beside the door, he stretched his leg out and waited. 'Moments like these make all the craziness worthwhile.'

* * *

Akane flounced, er, daintily pranced toward the guest room currently occupied by her intended victim. Bucket of cold water in hand, she grinned mischievously. 'Finally, I can work some stress off on that jerk. This'll teach him not to ignore ME. Besides, it's not like he's good for much else.'

Pausing just outside the room, the harbinger of aquatic vengeance inhaled deeply before sliding the door open and charging forward. "RanmaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Barely managing to keep himself from laughing at the thoroughly soaked Tendo girl's plight, he said in a tone of mock concern, "Gee Akane...are you alright? You should be careful walking in here, I think one of the floorboards are loose."

From the floor, said girl was quickly approaching the boiling point, if the steam rising from around the bucket on her head was any indication. Dusting his hands lightly, he gleefully stepped on and over the fallen form of his usual tormentor. 'Today might not be such a bad day after all. If I can at least avoid the usual lunatics until lunch time, I'll be happy.'

Whistling jovially and slightly off key, Ranma made his way toward the bathroom in order to prepare himself for the day's usual hectic events.

* * *

As with dinner the previous day, breakfast was also a relatively quiet affair. Kasumi was in the kitchen cleaning up, and Nabiki had gone off to school early for business reasons. Akane stared uncertainly at Ranma, stuck between anger and confusion. Did he have something to do with her earlier, ahem, accident? Ranma, for his part, ignored the world around him in favor of his meal. Soun appeared to be engrossed in the morning newspaper, occasionally stealing anxious glances toward the kitchen over the top of it. 'I must find a way to contact Genma! Together, we shall conquer the demon that has taken over Kasumi's body!'

Tact is a valuable asset in any negotiation or verbal confrontation. Most normal people, that is to say people outside Nerima, possessed tact to varying degrees. Akane Tendo was known quite well for this aspect. Meaning, she was known to have the tact of a rabid grizzly bear on steroids. "Come on you pervert, we're going to be late for school!"

Casually glancing at the irate girl, Ranma was about to make his usual witty retort when he was saved from his own foot-in-mouth disease by Kasumi as she reentered the room. "Akane, you should go on ahead. I need to speak to Ranma about something."

Grumbling to herself about the unfairness of the world, Akane grabbed her things and stomped out the door. Soun quickly vacated the room when Kasumi shot him a pointed look. It wasn't that he was afraid of his eldest daughter, demonically possessed or not, far from it. He simply...respected her wishes, that's all.

Glancing about the recently vacated room, Ranma's eyes finally came to rest on Kasumi. Fidgeting nervously for a moment, he finally worked up the courage to address the older girl. "Um...what was it you wanted, Kasumi?"

Giving the pigtailed youth a reassuring smile, she held up a large bag. "Here's your lunch, Ranma. Akane seems to have forgotten hers...such a pity."

He was so deeply focused on the food before him, it never crossed his mind that he could take Akane's lunch to her. Selective memories are truly a beautiful thing. He was snapped out of his food induced stupor by Kasumi, who delicately cleared her throat before continuing. "Ranma, I need to go to the market today, and since it's on the way I thought it would be nice to walk you to school."

Blinking twice in surprise, Ranma stumbled for words before managing to recover himself enough to answer. Scratching his head out of nervous habit, he nodded slowly, vaguely aware of alarm bells ringing in his head as he replied, "Sure Kasumi, that'd be nice. But if any of the usual crazies attack, please get yourself to safety."

Favoring the sometimes girl with one of her brightest smiles, she happily nodded in compliance. "Of course, Ranma. We should get going now, I wouldn't want you to be late after all."

Collecting their respective things, the pair exited the Tendo home, pausing to admire the beautiful new day before proceeding onward.

* * *

Three minutes later, Ranma and Kasumi were enjoying the peace as they made their way toward Furinkan High School. Such peace never lasted long in Nerima, so it was to be relished and appreciated to its fullest. Out of respect for the older girl walking beside him, the pigtailed martial artist chose not to walk along the fence as per usual. Besides, walking beside someone who had no ulterior motives or blind rage directed toward him felt...nice.

And then he heard it. Sighing softly in resignation, Ranma screwed his eyes shut and awaited the imminent arrival of the Amazonian Bicycle of Death.

Slash!Slashslashslashslashslashslash!

Cautiously opening his eyes a moment later, Ranma was amazed to find- nothing. No bicycle embedded in his skull, no Shampoo initiating a Flying Death Glomp, nothing but the usual morning crowd going about their business. 'Eh...musta been hearin' things. Guess the stress is getting to me.'

Chuckling to himself uneasily, he directed his attention to his companion. "Eheh, sorry 'bout that Kasumi. Lets uh, get going before something happens."

The eldest Tendo daughter gave Ranma another warm smile, which quickly took on a more sinister look as she glanced back at her handiwork.

On the canal bank below, a certain purple haired Amazon had swirls in her eyes as she lay among the twisted scrap that remained of her bike. "Aiyah..."

* * *

Several moments later, Ranma and Kasumi were within sight of Furinkan High. By now, the Saotome heir's paranoia had hit an all time high. Casting his alert gaze all around, he was determined to spot any incoming danger before it became a threat to the innocent walking beside him. Experience dictated that the longer things stayed peaceful, the bigger things would blow up in the end. Unfortunately, he picked a bad time to be right for once. 'So whose it gonna be up first today? Mousse, Ryouga, Kuno...'

Wincing at the insane laughter erupting nearby, Ranma tiredly palmed his face and sighed. 'Kodachi it is then.'

Slash! Slash! Rip!

Looking up once more, he blinked in surprise at the unexpected scene before him. Kodachi stood amidst the shredded remains of her ribbon, swaying unsteadily on her feet and her eyes unfocused. "Ranma-sama, I regret to inform you that I have a previous obligation I must attend to. Good day."

Sweatdropping lightly, the pigtailed fighter slowly drawled out in reply, "Um...right, sure."

He watched in mild concern as the insane gymnast began to stumble off towards her own school, before dismissing it and turning once more to Kasumi. 'One of her concoctions probably just backfired, that's all. She should have an antidote somewhere.'

"Well, um, guess this is my stop Kasumi. Thanks for walking with me, it was nice. I'll uh, see ya at home later."

"Have a nice day in school, Ranma. At least try to pay attention today, alright?"

Giggling at Ranma's sheepish grin, she turned and continued on her way to the market as the pigtailed boy leaped over the wall and into a tree before vaulting into his classroom via the window just as the bell rang. Behind her, Kodachi managed to take a few more steps before collapsing on the ground, twitching.

Unbeknownst to any of them, a dark figure watched from the shadows. 'What's wrong with Kasumi? I bet it's all Ranma's fault! Well, he better at least have enough honor to help me find a way to make her better."

Adjusting his bandanna, the fanged boy began heading toward the school. And ended up walking face first into a streetlight- in New Guinea. "Ow! Ranma, this is all your fault, I just know it!"

* * *

School had gone by without a single hitch so far. Which was why Ranma was internally praying to every deity he could think of. 'Okay, okay, calm down. Things can't possibly get that bad today. I mean, at least school's gone by the same way as usual.'

Thinking back to the past few hours, Ranma couldn't keep an irritated frown from appearing on his face. 'Stupid samurai wannabe...his poetry will be the death of me long before that sword of his.'

As soon as he had entered his classroom, Kuno had charged forth with righteous fury in his eyes, spouting the usual nonsense, which was promptly ignored. Two and a half seconds later, he was promptly tossed out the window and into the school pool. A quarter of an hour later, one of the guys in his class "accidentally" spilled a bottle of ice water on him, instantly her. Before Ranma had a chance to inflict bodily harm on the boy that was now ogling her, along with the rest of the males in the room, Kuno made his reappearance. Spotting the Pigtailed Girl, he ran forward to embrace her. Which led to his second flight to the swimming pool, this time with company. Ranma hadn't forgotten about the little pervert with the ice water, after all.

Grumbling at the constant displays of stupidity, Ranma, now a he again thanks to a convenient thermos of warm water thoughtfully placed in his pack by Kasumi, stiffened slightly when he felt eyes on him once more. Remembering who it was, and that for now there was no immediate threat, he allowed himself to relax.

Ukyo and Akane had both been sneaking glances at the pigtailed boy all day, but for totally different reasons. Although he had forgiven her soon afterward for her part in the disastrous wedding attempt, Ranma seemed to habitually take on a cold demeanor around the okonomiyaki chef. He never even referred to her as Ucchan anymore, instead calling her Ukyo. It hurt her to think that maybe she had lost him forever, but that was how things appeared to be. And she knew she deserved it.

Akane sent death glares at the aquatranssexual's back throughout the entire class, which was a somewhat pointless gesture since he continued to ignore her. She eased up on the one way staring contest when a sudden thought occurred to her. 'I know, I'll make him lunch! Then he'll have to beg me for forgiveness. Perfect!'

Nobody noticed as Akane quietly slipped out of the room, for once actually employing some level of subtlety. Indeed, the Day of Reckoning was upon Nerima.

Ranma felt a shiver travel up his spine. Oh yes, the fun would begin soon.

* * *

Half an hour later, the lunch bell rang just as the pigtailed martial artist casually swatted a deranged kendoist through the window once more. The tingling sensation intensified.

Wasting no time, he leapt through the window before either of his fiances could say a word. The last thing he wanted was to deal with any of his suitors today. He could barely even stand to look them in the eye- the pain of the failed wedding was still fresh. Somersaulting gracefully, he made contact with the ground just long enough to launch himself into his favorite tree. As he began to open the lunch made for him by Kasumi, he heard an all too familiar sound.

**-Thump-** The leaves around him rustled lightly, but there was no wind.

**-Thump-** He could feel the tree tremble beneath him, as if in fear of what was to come.

**-THUMP- **Several leaves shook violently before falling to the ground below.

"Oh for the love of..."

"Ranma! Get down here and try the delicious lunch I made for you!"

The retort died on his lips as Ranma thought of the implications behind that statement. A sense of dread nearly overwhelmed him as he set aside his lunch and hopped lightly to the ground in front of Akane. Eying the tray of oddly glowing slime (which eyed him right back), he asked with as much courage as he could muster, "Akane...where exactly did you get that? I know for a fact that you haven't cooked anything recently, since the kitchen is still in one piece." 'Probably got it from a nuclear waste dumping ground. Definitely an improvement over anything she cooks herself.'

Purposely ignoring the second sentence in favor of answering the first, she ground her teeth a moment before replying in an alarmingly cheery voice, "I got out of class early today, and one of the cafeteria workers was nice enough to let me help prepare today's meal. Now get over here and try it, it's good!"

In the background, several students collapsed, clutching their stomachs and moaning in agony. Numerous sweatdrops appeared around the pigtailed boy's head as he took in the carnage before opening his mouth to reply. "Akane, there is no way in-

* * *

Several Minutes Earlier. . .

In the school kitchen, several pots began to rumble ominously. After several seconds, the rumbling stopped just before the lids burst open, and a massive wall of slime oozed forth. Several ichor filled bubbles rose to its surface before popping and releasing a no doubt toxic vapor into the air. Fixing its one, giant eyeball on the kitchen exit, the behemoth goo began to creep across the floor, absorbing whatever utensils weren't nailed down into itself. There was food outside, judging by the vibrations it was picking up through the ground. Loud food, but food nontheless. And it was hungry.

* * *

In one of the teacher's lounges situated near the cafeteria, two long time veterans of Furinkan sat next to one another, calmly sipping the life sustaining nectar known as coffee. "Shimada, how long have we taught here?"

"Eight years, Obayashi...eight long years."

The two began to contemplate just how wise a career move this was when they were interrupted by the sound of something slithering wetly down the hallway outside. Peering intently at the door, the duo sweatdropped in unison as the killer slime busted through the door and reared over them. Just before it fell upon them, Shimada abruptly turned to his partner in education and stated, "I just want you to know...I've always hated you."

* * *

"Akane, there is no way in helloooooo...!"

Ranma stared, slack jawed, at the mountain of living ooze before him, looking about hungrily with its huge, single eye. The students nearest the monstrosity screamed and began racing toward safety, alerting the rest of the student body, who quickly followed suit. Sensing its prey escaping, the monstrous ooze began to slither forward at surprising speed. "You've got ta be kiddin' me..."

Sighing in resignation, Ranma grumbled to himself as he prepared to launch an attack on the giant slimeball. Akane quickly decided that now was not a good time to force feed the pigtailed fighter, dropping the tray in her hands as she turned to run. The ball of slime on the tray began rolling across the ground toward the creature it had been separated from. "Oh no ya don't!" Ranma shouted as he hurled a small ball of ki toward the fleeing oozeling. The projectile struck its intended target and engulfed it in a small explosion, the smoke blowing away to reveal a greasy splotch on the dirt as all that remained.

Turning his attention to the larger mass of goo before him, Ranma began to formulate a plan. 'No way I'm touchin' that thing. Hitting it with a ki blast would just splatter it all over the place. It seems to be eating everything it can suck into itself, so throwing things at it would be pointless. Looks like I got no choice...I have to try one of my new moves...'

Breathing deeply, he began to focus on the Soul of Ice technique. A corona of frost colored light slowly coalesced around him as he took up a stance. Condensing the frozen aura into his hands, he dashed forward in an apparent suicide rush.

Thrusting his open palms forward once he was within range, he didn't even bother to call out the name of his new technique (after all, who was around to hear him? The ooze wouldn't exactly be impressed). A wide cone of frosty blue energy erupted from his hands, engulfing the man-eating goo and freezing it solid. Ranma stopped to admire his handiwork before lashing out with a negligent kick. Hairline cracks spread rapidly across the surface of the ice statue before it finally shattered into a thousand pieces. Amidst the piles of frozen slime, two figures lay stunned. "Ugh...that's it...I'm retiring tomorrow. They don't pay me enough for this kind of thing!"

Seeing that the gooey menace was taken care of by the resident martial arts supreme, the students filed out of their various hiding places and began to cheer. Scratching his head and shrugging his shoulders, Ranma hopped into his favorite tree once more to eat his lunch, hopefully in peace.

Forgotten among the celebration, the slime quickly melted in the bright sunlight, forming small puddles which slinked off into the street. Disappearing into a storm drain, the ooze began to combine into one large form...

* * *

The rest of the day passed without any real incident. Having been kept awake earlier by his thoughts, and feeling drained after using a new technique on such a wide scale, Ranma fell asleep as soon as his head hit the desk. Over the intercom, the assistant principal announced that due to recent events, certain individuals (like you don't know who) would no longer be allowed near the kitchen. Akane flushed with embarrassment when all her classmates turned to look at her, before she snapped out, "What! There's nothing wrong with my cooking!"

They all gave her a look that said "yeah, right" before returning their attention to Ms. Hinako (in her adult form, since one of the panicking students had bumped into her), whose eye twitched periodically as she observed the slumbering form of her favorite target, er student. Grinning wickedly, she stepped out of the room, returning moments later with a bucket of water. Tossing the contents of the bucket at the pigtailed boy, she called out, "Mr. Saotome, time to wake up!"

Not even twitching his head, Ranma raised a finger and directed his energy toward the oncoming H2O. In place of a wet female Ranma was a still sleeping male one, with an elegant ice sculpture adorning his desk. It was in the shape of a horse rearing back on its hind legs, its mane flapping in an invisible wind.

The entire class began to applaud in appreciation of the fine art work, even Ms. Hinako before she managed to stop herself. Grinding her teeth, she practically yelled, "Mr. Saotome, I would like to talk to you after school today!"

All she got in response was a light snore.

* * *

AN: ...I must be out of my gourd. (Blinks and scratches head) I know I was having fun with this but...wonder if I went overboard? Er, right. Yes, the Doomsday Slime will be making another appearance later- didn't think it'd be THAT easy to defeat, did you? 


	3. Chapter 3: Watch Your Step

Disclaimer: If any one of you accuses me of trying to claim Ranma ½ or any other anime, game, etc. as my own... I will deny it. Then, I will sick the Doomsday Slime upon you.

AN: It is somewhat depressing when you have to go back and read your own writing to know where your story is... bah. Oddly enough, I remember that this was the story I had the most fun writing. Anyway, lessee if I can pick up where I left off, eh? Before that, though: looky, the first writing key thing I've ever bothered to post! Note that I changed the way I do thoughts... I'ma go back and edit all my other stuff to follow the same format, later. I'll probably change it again, too- let me know what you think, hmm?

"Regular Chatting" (isn't it obvious?)

**_Dreams, Flashbacks_** and "**_deific commentary"_**

_Innermost thoughts and shameless secrets_

**Sounds, (undue) emphasis, those little voices in the back of your head**

**Location and Time, parallel dimensions included

* * *

**

Where Kindness Leads You

Chapter 3: Watch Your Step

* * *

**After School, The Same Day**

"Mr. Saotome."

Snore. Twitch. Drool slightly.

"Mr. Saotome!"

Snort. Mumble. Adjust position.

Alright, so the little delinquent wanted to play hard ball. Shifting from an irritated frown to a triumphant smirk so suddenly that it would cause any rational person (which automatically roots out half of Nerima) to back away slowly in fear of upcoming reprisal, a one Ninomiya Hinako began to arm the most deadly weapon at her disposal as Furinkan High's most beloved (see: feared) English teacher- a five yen coin. Giggling in an almost sinister way, the sometimes child began to draw a bead on her favorite hapless pigtailed victim. _That's right, you just keep snoring away. If you thought you were tired before, think again!_

Taking several steps towards Ranma's desk, she leveled the coin at the back of his head, a good foot and a half keeping it from physical contact. Then again, this particular armament didn't NEED physical contact to be effective- she just wanted to see the look on his face when she gave him his rude awakening. Breathing in deeply, she was about to unleash her technique when the outstretched arm of its intended target seemed to wink out of existence for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. Exhaling loudly, Hinako blink-blinked and froze momentarily. Finally coming to the decision that it was just her imagination reacting to the stress of her chosen career, the chi vampire once again prepared to drain the dozing martial artist. _I really need to take a vacation soon, I'm starting to see things! At least this should relieve some- wha?_

For the second time in the span of less than five minutes, Hinako blink-blinked and stared at her hand, finally noting the conspicuous absence of her weapon-of-choice. Slowly, her gaze traveled from the strangely empty hand to the lightly drooling pigtailed lump. _That can't be right..._

The very same arm that she had perceived as an anomaly earlier remained in the exact same place as before, its hand palm up with fingers forming a loose fist. Something glinted metallicly from the cover of the digits' shadows- she had a pretty good idea what. _So this... this **delinquent** pretended to be asleep just to toy with me! Well he can't fool me anymore! Even with his head down like that, I just know he's laughing at me! Oh, I'll give him something to laugh about alright... _

Gritting her teeth in a decidedly unhappy manner, Hinako made a grab for the five yen piece. Ranma's hand slid away from the annoyed teacher all too casually, further degrading her already bad mood as she completely missed the coin.

Her eye twitching erratically now, the irate instructor growled slightly before whipping both hands out as fast as she could manage. The hand merely shifted its position several inches to the left, narrowly avoiding both attempts at claiming its treasure.

She swung at it in an arc, intent on retrieving her precious yen piece and punishing the troublemaker. The hand was lifted into the air, allowing the approaching grab to pass harmlessly beneath.

She jabbed at it with her left. The hand moved back down to the desk and out of the way.

She flung her right at it. The hand simply slid to the right and away.

Smash. Fling. Snatch. Grab. Pluck. Nab. Cross. Seize. Grasp. Snag. Curse.

Left. Up. Duck. Back. Right. Lift. Forward. Reverse. Drop. Slide. Snore.

Finally at the end of her rope, the enraged chi vampire screamed in frustration and lunged at the boy , arms stretched forward to grab the coin. Of course, as luck would have it, she badly miscalculated just how much momentum there was behind the flying leap.

**WHUMP! CRASH!**

One moment he was having a strange dream about playing tag with Ms. Hinako, the next Ranma found himself sprawled across the floor atop the remnants of his desk and acting as a cushion for none other than said English teacher. Blinking tiredly, he calmly peered into the older woman's eyes with the stoicism of a true martial arts master- then the remnants of his earlier dream faded away and reality came crashing down with the force of a tomboy's mallet.

Eyes widening in alarm, he gaped at his teacher's shocked face with the horrified awe of a deer caught in headlights. Mental faculties that had just recently reawakened instantly shut down again, refusing to have anything to do with the onrushing bout of physical violence. Unfortunately (and, quite frankly, unsurprisingly), Hinako recovered first, blinking once before taking stock of the situation. _This is just great. If the rest of the faculty could see this, what would they say? ...Well, the female half would probably be cheering me on while the male half would die from jealousy. _Glancing back down at her currently petrified student, she let loose an annoyed sigh. _I better snap him out of it before he's traumatized or something._ Frowning slightly, the chi vampire attempted to garner the pigtailed boy's attention- conveniently forgetting that she was still basically straddling him in the process. "Mr. Saotome. Mr. Saotome! Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Pursing her lips, Hinako considered her options. After a few moments, her eyes sparkled mischievously and the triumphant smirk from before reappeared, stronger than ever. _This'll show him! Fitting punishment- and fun too!_ She mentally cheered, barely stopping herself from giggling out loud. Calming herself, she leaned forward until their noses were practically touching. Putting on the most alluring look she could muster, Hinako purred into the stunned martial artist's year, "Oh Ranma, need I remind you that teacher-student relationships are illegal? Not that **I **mind of course," she finished with a suggestive wink. _Three... two... one..._

The proximity of his admittedly attractive (not that he'd ever say it out loud) English teacher caused warmth to flood his face. The way she said his name sent a shiver up and down his spine. The mention of the "R" word, in context with any female, elicited a twitch from his brow. The wink she added at the end finally jump started his brain enough to activate his standard jump-as-far-away-as-you-can-and-hope-that-you're-out-of-pummeling-range reflex. Shrinking against the wall with enough force to leave an indentation of his back, he attempted to alleviate as much wrath as he could before the beatdown started. "I didn't do nothin', honest! I didn't mean to! It wasn't my fault! Blame the panda!"

Once again suppressing the urge to giggle at the sight of Ranma making warding gestures and shooting off as many excuses as he could, Hinako started to sashay provocatively toward the panicked young man. This caused said young man to abandon his hysterics in favor of a defensive stance, hopefully shielding his head. _Gonna die, gonna die, gonna die!But, but, I didn't want it to end like this! ... Funny, I always thought it would be Akane that did me in, not Ms. Hinako..._

Coming to a stop just a few feet away from her pigtailed victim, Hinako paused to grin cheekily at his cowering form, uneasily watching her from behind the safety of his arms. Bending over slowly, coincidentally giving him an excellent view of her cleavage (wether it was intentional or not is debatable), as well as the beginnings of a nosebleed, she wrapped her fingers around the object Ranma had dropped in his earlier bout of frenzied stammering.

To rehash, in D&D terms:

Ranma: Luck Roll (2+1) vs. DC 666 Failed Save

Power Attack with Feminine Rage +5 (DC 20+9) + Weakness vs. Female (DC +20) + Cosmic Sucker Feat penalty (DC +600+17) 0 damage (Hard Head Feat reduction) + Stun + Confusion + Nosebleed

Indeed, he came much closer to a successful saving throw than usual.

At last, Hinako was able to clutch her prize possessively. When she stood up again, Ranma finally got a glimpse of what she was holding in her hand. Shocked realization was swiftly followed up by dawning horror as the chi vampire once more leveled her favorite five yen coin at him. The cheeky grin from earlier had taken on a decidedly more sinister look as she stated in all-too-sweet voice, "Now then, Mr. Saotome... about your behavior in class today..."

(AN: Huh... I really think that D&D reference is out of place, but... I like it too much to move it, so there!)

* * *

Two hours later, an oddly familiar figure crawled its way toward the Tendo Dojo's front gate. 

No, Ranma was not having a good day anymore. The walk with Kasumi had been quite enjoyable, one of the oh so rare peaceful moments the pigtailed warrior had these days. Once at school, the classes had been the same as usual- boring but bearable, barring only a handful of minor annoyances (see: Kuno). Even the fight with the slimeball thingy at lunch had been somewhat pleasing, since it gave him a chance to test one of his new moves. After school, however... just plain sucked. _Ergh... Ms. Hinako went overboard this time. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she enjoyed tormenting me! Aw man, the only thing worse is what she said she'd do ta me if I slept through class again._ At this thought, Ranma shivered involuntarily- of course, wether it was due more to what would happen if he slept or the fact that he would have to stay awake in class now is anyone's guess.

Sighing tiredly, the sometimes girl struggled to his knees and feebly reached a shakey hand upward to let himself in. Sadly, he made it only half way before his arm gave way and hung limply at his side once more. Gritting his teeth, he tried again- this time, he didn't even make it half as far.

Grumbling to himself miserably, Ranma was about to just keel over and take a nap right then and there until a sweet voice reached his ears, instnatly flooding him with relief. "Oh my! Ranma, what are you doing out here? And why are you so late?" Lifting his head to see the eldest Tendo daughter with renewed energy, the Saotome heir managed a weary smile.

"Uh, hi Kasumi! I just, you know... dropped something down here..." he trailed off lamely, hanging his head in an effort to hide the growing sweatdrop. "And, uh, I had to stay after school to talk with Ms. Hinako."

"You had to stay after school? Did you do something?" Kasumi had a look on her face that was only vaguely reproachful, but it was enough to make Ranma's head hang even lower and his shoulders droop slightly as he mumbled his reply, "I just slept through her class, same as usual."

The look seemed to intensify a bit, and now there was an admonishing tone to her voice. "Ranma, you can't keep doing that. Please, you need to try harder- your education is very important. If you want, I can even help you study."

Wincing at her tone more than the words, Ranma completely missed the note of hopefulness at the end. Even if he had caught it, though, he probably wouldn't have known what it meant. "I really did try Kasumi, I really did. It really wasn't my fault. Something, er, happened at lunch and it made me really tired..." He trailed off, absorbed in his thoughts. _Come to think of it, I never saw what happened to that slime thing. I hope I don't have to fight that thing again- it smelled worse than Akane's usual cooking!_

Suddenly, Kasumi's offer of assistance registered in his mind. With no small amount of appreciation in his smile, he looked her in the eye once more and responded in an unusually cheery voice, "But I'd really appreciate any help you're willing ta give me, Kasumi- I definitely need it." A bit embarrassed about admitting to a weakness (even if it was painfully obvious most of the time), he grinned sheepishly and scratched the base of his pigtail.

Favoring the downed martial artist with a genuinely happy smile, Kasumi was about to reply when she blink-blinked, remembering something important. Touching a finger to her lips cutely in apparent contemplation, she said thoughtfully, "Oh, yes. Dinner will be ready soon, so you'd better hurry and clean yourself up. Come along, Ranma." Motioning for the pigtailed boy to follow, she began to walk toward the house. After several moments, however, she noticed that he wasn't behind her. Turning around, she found the reason why he was lagging behind, causing her to giggle uncontrollably. "Wh-what are you doing now, Ranma?"

The object of her good humor was currently flat on his belly, inching forward along the ground like some sort of worm or caterpillar. Watching him scoot forward ever so slowly, her laughter died away as Kasumi thought to herself idly. _More of a caterpillar than a worm, I think. Closer to a butterfly, really- yes, definitely a butterfly_.

Ranma was beyond humiliated at this point. Kasumi of all people had seen him flopping about on the floor like some kind of bug! He tried as hard as he could not to blush from embarrassment as he avoided the unreadable look she sent him, standing several feet away.

Breaking out of her thoughts, the eldest Tendo daughter noticed the way the pigtailed boy refused to met her gaze. Fiddling with her skirt nervously for a moment, she came to a decision about what she should do given the situation. Stepping toward the Saotome heir, she called for his attention softly, "Ranma."

Startled out of his previous mortification by the nearly inaudible sound of his own name, Ranma managed to stutter weakly, "Y-yes?"

Now standing just a scant foot and a half away, Kasumi crouched down in front of him, extending a delicate hand. "Here, let me help you."

Eyes widening slightly at the unexpected offer, Ranma nodded his head and placed his hand in hers before he could even stop to think about what he was doing.

Carefully, and with surprising strength, Kasumi pulled the drained young man to his feet and gently pulled him against herself, allowing him to lean on her for support. Wrapping her other arm around his shoulders, she began to ease him toward the front door. "Are you alright, Ranma?"

"Uh y-yeah, just a little tired. I'll be fine in a few hours."

"School is out tomorrow, so you'll have plenty of time to rest."

He craned his neck to look at her, clearly surprised. "Really? Guess I forgot."

Kasumi giggled again, turning her head toward him as well. "Because you were so busy in school?"

Chuckling lightly despite the hint of redness on his cheeks, Ranma was about to answer when a sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey Kasumi, has anything happened here while I was gone?" _Better safe than sorry, after all, _he added to silently.

"Not really... oh, Akane found P-chan again." He could've sworn that 'P-chan' had been said with no small amount of distate. Brushing it off as a product of his weariness and imagination, he turned his attention back to the woman helping him along. "Other than that... nothing eventful, really."

Ranma simply made an acknowledging noise and concentrated his already flagging reserves of energy toward taking step after painful step. The mention of Ryouga's porcine alter ego didn't even penetrate the haze of fatigue.

Without even realizing it, the couple had already passed through the front door and were now standing just inside the living room, mildly surprised at their sudden arrival. On the couch, Akane sat watching T.V. while holding her pet "pig". Fortunately, she hadn't seen them enter, therefore competely missing how close they were, as well as the way their hands still remained interwoven.

While Ranma was too out of it to take note of the immediate danger, Kasumi recognized it immediately. Her younger sister was oblivious to them, but she definitely did not like the way P-chan was glaring at them- or rather, at her companion.

Releasing the pigtailed boy's hand, but not before giving it a tiny reassuring squeeze, she assisted him in standing under his own power before quickly stepping away. It wouldn't do to have gotten this far without any problems only to have Ranma belted over the horizon by his oh-so-loving fiance. "I'm going to go finish the preparations on dinner, Ranma. Why don't you go rest on the sofa?"

Too exhausted to manage more than an affirming nod, he began shuffling toward the invitingly comfortable piece of furniture. Kasumi stood and watched him with a worried expression, nibbling on her lower lip a little before heading off toward the part of the house unanimously dubbed her domain.

After what seemed an eternity, the thoroughly bushed Saotome heir finally made it to the sofa, plopping down on it with a short sigh of relief. P-chan, who had continued to glower at him the entire time, began to bristle and growl at his hated enemy's nearness. Akane, noticing her pet's unusual (only because she's too dense to ever notice) behavior, turned to see what was bothering her P-chan. She immediately spotted Ranma sitting nearby, apparently holding a glaring contest with her beloved pet pig. "Ranma! Stop looking at poor P-chan like that! Honestly, you can be such an immature jerk."

Ranma, too tired to formulate any coherent replies, just gave a noncommittal grunt and closed his eyes, manipulating what was left of his ki toward dispelling some of his exhaustion.

Seeing that the "immature jerk" wouldn't be bothering her poor P-chan again any time soon, the youngest Tendo daughter settled for an annoyed "hmph" and decided to go into the kitchen and grab herself a can of soda. _If I find out that he picked on P-chan while I'm gone... ooooh, he's gonna get it!_

Concentrating on the flows of ki in his body, Ranma idly noted the departure of his tomboy fiance. Feeling a bit more at ease with her well out of melee range, he began to relax even further. _Wait a sec... I didn't sense her taking Bacon Boy with her. But that means..._

His thoughts were painfully interrupted by virtue of a sharp set of porcine teeth clamping down on his ankle. Having already regained enough energy to jump to his feet and dance around in a frenzy- he did just that. "AAAAAAARGH! Dammit, get offa me! Leggo!"

This, of course, only encouraged the boy-turned-pig to apply more pressure to his bicuspid deathgrip. Swiftly coming to the conclusion that hopping around like a crazed maniac and screaming his head off wasn't going to dislodge the little porker, Ranma reached into his own small compartment of Hidden Weapons Space ( nowhere near as developed as Mousse's, but he was improving) and withdrew a thermos full of hot water. With a deft twist, the cap popped off and he upended the entire contents on his porcing opponent- which was probably not the greatest of ideas, as the image of a wet and naked Ryouga, still gnawing on his ankle, assaulted Ranma's mind. With a deep grimace of utmost disgust, he kicked his nudist rival across the living room. Instantly, the Eternally Lost Boy was back on his feet, facing the Saotome heir in an offensive stance- a **very** offensive stance, as the earlier mental picture was replaced with a new one that burned his innocent eyes even more. Reaching into his personal plot of Weapons Space once again, he pulled out a cloth bundle and chucked it at Ryouga's face- hard.

The package, which consisted of clothes, the usual headband, and a backpack several times the Hibiki boy's body weight, impacted with enough force to knock him over. Jumping to his feet once more, Ryouga quickly dressed himself before facing his opponent once more- to the infinite relief of said opponent. "Ranma! How dare you try to corrupt Kasumi! I will not stand for this dis... umm..."

This really was not how Ryouga had pictured this encounter would turn out. He was supposed to confront Ranma, who would try to deny his wrongdoing, and beat him to a pulp! Nowhere in his grand plan did it mention the pigtailed menace trembling in rage with a veritable bonfire of ice blue ki burning around him. _Uh... maybe I can just work around this?_

At that moment, said pigtailed menace trying in vain to quell the rising anger. _Corrupt... Kasumi? He really thinks I'd do **anything** bad to Kasumi of all people! I've been accused of a lot of stupid crap before, but this! Hell no! That stupid... that... !_

Beyond that point, coherent thought slipped out of his grasp and he growled menacingly. Taking a slow, deliberate step forward, he flexed his muscles in preparation of the ass kicking that was about to occur.

Unfortunately for Ranma, he'd been too absorbed in his outrage to pay attention to what was occuring behind him. Thinking about it several hours later, it was one of the worst mistakes he'd ever made- and he'd made plenty. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.

Akane stood a scant handful of feet behind the unsuspecting Saotome heir, a can of soda in one hand and her mallet in the other. Battle aura flaring up, she crushed the already forgotten can of soda and tossed it off to the side without taking her eyes off her target. By now, Ryouga had noticed her arrival but was too preoccupied to say anything- not that he would bother to warn the ever deserving pigtailed boy, anyway. Switching her mallet to a two-handed grip, she held it to her side and gave the Saotome heir his eulogy in a decidedly unfriendly tone. "Ranma... stop picking on Ryouga!"

Halting in his tracks, Ranma's expression changed from one of intense anger to shock before settling on resignation. Taking a deep, calming breath, he braced for impact. He was not disappointed.

For many years afterward, the residents of Nerima would remember the oddly martial artist shaped firework that shot up into the sky, blazing a brilliant blue. Rather than the usual keening whistle, it almost seemed to scream out in frustration, "Uncuuuuuuuuuuuuute!"

The explosion that followed at the apex of its flight was memorable, to say the least.

* * *

AN: Huzzah! ...Right. Anyway, sorry for the massively, ridiculously long wait. Meh. I'm back now, anyway- and with good news! I joined the Air Force, woot! I'll be shipping off to basic on August 1, 2006. I just need to survive until then. Wish me luck, eh? 

Ah... in other, completely unrelated news... Well, it's been a while since I've written anything. Let me know what ya think, eh? I'd appreciate it! I honestly hope you enjoy my own unique brand of humor. Good night!


End file.
